Death Sentence (2007 film)

Death Sentence is a 2007 American vigilante action thriller film directed by James Wan and written by Ian Jeffers. It stars Kevin Bacon as Nick Hume, a mild-mannered executive who becomes a vigilante after his son is murdered during a gang initiation, leading to a violent cycle of retribution. The cast also includes Garrett Hedlund, Kelly Preston, Aisha Tyler, and John Goodman.

Death Sentence
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	James Wan
Screenplay by	Ian Mackenzie Jeffers
Based on	Death Sentence by Brian Garfield
Produced by	Ashok Amritraj Howard Baldwin Karen Baldwin
Starring	Kevin Bacon Garrett Hedlund Kelly Preston Aisha Tyler John Goodman
Cinematography	John R. Leonetti
Edited by	Michael N. Knue
Music by	Charlie Clouser
Production companies	Hyde Park Entertainment Baldwin Entertainment Group
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	August 31, 2007 (2007-08-31)
Running time	106 minutes 111 minutes (unrated)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$10 million[1]
Box office	$17 million[2]

The film is loosely based on the 1975 novel Death Sentence by Brian Garfield, which serves as a sequel to his earlier work Death Wish. Although the novel continues the narrative of Death Wish, the film is unrelated to the Death Wish film series.

Death Sentence was released theatrically by 20th Century Fox on August 31, 2007, and later on DVD on January 8, 2008. It grossed over $16 million worldwide. While it received negative reviews upon release, its critical reception has become more mixed over time, with some reassessing the film's direction and tone, contributing to its status as a cult favorite.

Plot

Nick Hume, a businessman in Columbia, South Carolina, witnesses the murder of his teenage son Brendan during a gas station robbery carried out by a gang. Brendan's killer, Joe Darley, is apprehended, but Nick learns that due to insufficient evidence, Joe will receive a minimal sentence. During a pre-trial hearing, Nick recants his identification, allowing Joe to go free. Secretly pursuing revenge, Nick follows the gang to their hideout and kills Joe.

In retaliation, Joe’s brother Billy, the gang's leader, vows vengeance. The gang ambushes Nick, initiating a violent confrontation that results in the death of another gang member. Billy threatens Nick's family, delivering a warning that they have been marked for death. Detective Jessica Wallis, assigned to Brendan's case, provides police protection, but the gang attacks the Hume residence, killing Nick's wife, Helen, and critically injuring his younger son, Lucas.

Blaming himself for the tragedy, Nick evades police custody and arms himself with illegal weapons purchased from a black-market dealer named Bones, who is later revealed to be Billy’s father. After executing another gang member, Nick tracks the gang to their hideout—an abandoned mental hospital known as “The Office.” In a final confrontation, Nick eliminates the remaining gang members. He and Billy severely wound each other in a chapel, where Billy admits that Nick has become a killer like him. Nick shoots Billy and later returns home, reflecting on his actions. Detective Wallis informs him that Lucas has survived.

Alternate ending

In the film’s extended version, Nick succumbs to his injuries following the final confrontation.

Cast

• Kevin Bacon as Nick Hume
• Garrett Hedlund as Billy Darley
• Kelly Preston as Helen Hume
• Aisha Tyler as Detective Jessica Wallis
• John Goodman as Bones Darley
• Matt O'Leary as Joe Darley
• Leigh Whannell as Spink
• Stuart Lafferty as Brendan Hume
• Zachary Dylan Smith as Young Brendan Hume
• Jordan Garrett as Lucas Hume
• Edi Gathegi as Bodie
• Yorgo Constantine as Michael Behring
• Hector Atreyu Ruiz as Heco
• Kanin Howell as Baggy
• Judith Roberts as Judge Shaw

Production

Development

Author Brian Garfield was dissatisfied with the 1974 adaptation of his novel Death Wish, leading him to write a sequel titled Death Sentence in 1975. In 1980, Garfield was hired by The Cannon Group, Inc. to adapt Death Sentence into a film, with plans for Michael Winner—director of the original Death Wish—to helm the project. However, producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus opted not to adapt Garfield’s sequel, instead acquiring the rights to his characters and producing Death Wish II (1982), which followed the continuity of the first film but was unrelated to Death Sentence.^[3] Over time, the Death Wish franchise developed a cult following.

Director James Wan, inspired after reading Garfield’s novels and watching all prior adaptations, decided to create a new film version of Death Sentence. Garfield was initially hired to write early drafts of the screenplay, with the final script completed by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers.

Casting

Kevin Bacon was cast in the lead role of Nick Hume at Wan’s request. Garrett Hedlund was selected to play Billy Darley, the gang leader; to prepare, he shaved his head, gained weight, and studied lion behavior to reflect the character’s animalistic traits. Aisha Tyler was cast as Detective Jessica Wallis—a character originally conceived as a middle-aged male. The supporting cast includes John Goodman, Judith Roberts, and Stuart Lafferty.

Filming

Principal photography took place over two months, with filming locations including Columbia, South Carolina, and Los Angeles, California.

Soundtrack

The original score for Death Sentence was composed by Charlie Clouser, who had previously collaborated with director James Wan on Saw (2004) and Dead Silence (2007). Clouser's music combines atmospheric elements with industrial textures to underscore the film's themes of vengeance and transformation.

The film also features incidental music, including a brief segment of Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of “Hey Joe,” which plays during a scene in which Nick stalks Joe Darley.

Release

Box office

Death Sentence was released theatrically in the United States by 20th Century Fox on August 31, 2007, opening in 1,822 theaters. It debuted at number eight at the box office, earning $4.2 million in its opening weekend, with a per-theater average of $2,322. The film ultimately grossed $9.5 million in North America and $7.4 million internationally, for a worldwide total of approximately $16.97 million.^[2]

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 20% based on 113 reviews, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The site’s consensus reads: “A nonsensical plot and an absurd amount of violence make this revenge pic gratuitous and overwrought.”^[4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 36 out of 100 based on 24 reviews, indicating “generally unfavorable reviews.”^[5] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “C” on an A+ to F scale.^[6]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2½ out of 4 stars, comparing it to the Death Wish series and calling it “very efficient,” with “a courtroom scene of true surprise and suspense.” He noted that while the film is largely action-driven, it succeeds in delivering moments of genuine tension and emotion.^[7]

Justin Chang of Variety described the film as “well-made” and “often intensely gripping.”^[8] Similarly, Bill Gibron of PopMatters called it “a significant movie” and “a wonderfully tight little thriller,”^[9] while Darren Amner of Eye for Film praised Kevin Bacon’s performance, describing it as “emotional, sympathetic, and highly aggressive."^[10]

Author Brian Garfield, whose novel inspired the film, also responded positively. While he criticized its excessive violence, he felt the film made the same anti-vigilante argument as his book, noting: “It connects with its audience and makes the same point the book makes… those are the things that count.”^[11] In a later interview, he added that Death Sentence succeeded in portraying the protagonist’s moral decline and the “stupidity of vengeful vigilantism,” even if he found the final act exaggerated.^[12]

Critics such as Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club felt the film lacked tonal control, stating that director James Wan was “too busy jamming the accelerator to realize that his movie's spinning out of control.”^[13] Matt Zoller Seitz of The New York Times described the film as “a tedious, pandering time-waster,” despite praising a standout parking garage tracking shot and Bacon’s performance.^[14] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly criticized the film’s approach to revenge, writing: “The morality of revenge is barely at issue in a movie that pushes the plausibility of revenge right over a cliff.”^[15]

Home media

Death Sentence was released on DVD in the United States by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on January 8, 2008. The release includes both the original theatrical version and an unrated version with extended scenes and alternate content.

As of 2025, the film has not been released on Blu-ray in the United States, though Blu-ray editions have been made available in select European markets.^{[16][17][18][19][20][21]}